The real estate industry should ‘Nuke Normal’ and embrace digital innovation.
Written by: Cai Bradley
In April 2021, Richard Mulholland took to the stage at EAvolution21 and blew our minds. His ideas really got us thinking at Dezrez. One of the first things Rich (I can call him Rich, we’re connected on LinkedIn…) spoke about was the idea of ‘Nuke Normal’.
He said that “normality is a threat to opportunity” and, instantly, anyone who had logged on to our virtual event platform to see his webinar was completely hooked.
Suddenly, you could sense everyone watching rightfully questioning their desire to get ‘back to normal’. Why should we strive for ‘normality’? Why not use this previously-unimaginable period of 2020 and 2021 as an opportunity to encourage growth and reinvention?
Ok, estate agents couldn’t conduct in-person viewings, but did you invest in a virtual viewing platform? How about using Virtual Reality technology and taking online viewings to new heights? Did you give clients access to their own portal?
We have been living and working through an unprecedented time for over 12 months, with many companies adapting, utilising technology and doing business from home as efficiently as ever. Why drop all of this when ‘normality’ returns?
The digital shift and real estate
Thankfully, there now seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. I’m sure we all welcome the normality of going to the pub, visiting friends and family, going to concerts and watching live sport… But the ‘normality’ of commuting an hour each day to get to an office, or the ‘normality’ of travelling hours on the train for a 30-minute meeting with a client? Why should we digress back to that inefficient way of living and working?
As a cloud-based software provider, we’re quite capable of moving with the tech-heavy times, but is the real estate industry as a whole ready for the digital shift?
Normality as we know/knew it may never return, but as Rich said, it’s time to ‘unlearn what you knew’ and to embrace the new challenges that will be thrown at us as we exit the UK’s third national lockdown.
Now would be as good a time as any to change your way of thinking, and if you still see the cow – force yourself to unsee it (if you watched the Rich Mulholland webinar at EAvolution21, you know what I’m talking about. If you didn’t… shame on you!).
“Any area that lacks an expert, whoever puts their hand up first becomes it”
Digital innovation is constantly evolving and one of the most challenging things to do as a professional is to forget what you know in order to allow yourself to see the opportunities around you. The comfort zone is a cosy place, but we may need to pull ourselves out of it to become aware of how our businesses – and we ourselves – can use this uncertainty adapt and improve.
“There is no more local”
Alongside his point about Nuking Normal, Richard Mulholland also spoke about how “there is no more local”, and as a cloud-based software company that provides products to clients across the UK and beyond, we resonated with that. But can estate agencies? There is, of course, still a place for physical meetings and digital will not completely ‘replace’ face-to-face experiences; it may be a case of simply finding a balance of using both digital and physical together.
Rich Mulholland believes “there is an opportunity for your industry to no longer be local. Companies like Dezrez in many ways help that because they provide the technical tools to help you think bigger about your business.”
Being willing to embrace digital innovation has become more important than ever, and Rich Mulholland’s webinar at EAvolution21 reiterated that.
Not sure where to start? How about Rezi Anytime? Give your clients 24/7 access to their own login area, where they can look at data themselves and track transaction updates. Reduce the number of unnecessary meetings that take place in-person and connect with your clients online. Offer virtual viewings and seek ways that technology can make life easier for both you and your clients.
If you want to, of course. If not, ignore everything you’ve just read!
